With the June 21st launch of the biggest Elden Ring DLC to date just around the corner, the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree reviews are in. And they look good. So good in fact, that the expansion has already overtaken Witcher 3: Blood and Wine to become the highest-rated DLC of all time, according to Metacritic! Now that's something!

We've been excited about this one for a long time now. Who hasn't? It's the first and only proper expansion of one of the best games of all time. A game that raised the bar for RPGs as a whole. Yes, it's fair to say, expectations are high.

We are, relieved, therefore, even if not surprised to see that, from the initial reviews, it looks like FromSoftware has delivered. Of course, they have. It's precisely this certainty of the quality of what the studios are capable of that has had us chomping at the bit for so long!

Before we move on to what the critics are saying about the DLC, however, if like us you are spending every waking moment preparing your Tarnished for Shadow of the Erdtree, here are some guides that should come in handy:

Now, let's take a look at a summary of the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC reviews, and what they tell us about what lies in store!

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Initial Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree DLC Reviews - What We've Learnt!

The first thing to say is that the initial reviews are glowing! IGN conclude that 'it's hard to imagine a better DLC than this'. Rock Paper Shotgun describe the DLC as '...basically a sequel', with 'some of Elden Ring's finest moments'. And Gamespot declare it to be 'From Software's victory lap, an unmissable tour de force that is every bit as brilliant as the original game'.

Honestly, I know it's early days and the DLC is yet to launch, but from everything we've seen so far, Shadow of the Erdtree looks to be one of the most exciting new games of the year, far exceeding expectations of what an expansion can offer. Let's take a look at some of what we've learned about the DLC from the initial reviews.

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - A Summary

The demigod Miquella has left his flesh behind and fled to the unexpectantly large Land of Shadow. It's your job to follow.

In addition to the main mission, you'll encounter a whole host of new NPCs, including 7 followers of Miquella, each with their own side quest.

As ever, the consequences of your choices, and outcomes of these quests, will effect your journey, sometimes in unexpected ways, all the way up to the final boss battles.

The Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree Lore

Without wanting to give away any spoilers, prepare yourself for some eye-opening narrative revelations. Expect lingering questions left over from the main campaign to be explored and dealt with, often with surprising conclusions.

That's not to say the DLC won't leave room for speculation and interpretation. In other words, if you're one to fill the community boards with your theories and analyses, you won't be disappointed!

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How difficult is Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?

Now on to business, what's the gameplay like? In one word - tough!

Of course it is, this is an ambitious Elden Ring endgame. You can't even enter the DLC without having beaten two of the trickiest bosses of the base game, Radahn and Mohg. And that is no mean feat. No, this is certainly not one for newbies!

Indeed, although beating Radahn and Mohg are the minimum requirements, the advice coming from all the initial reviews is that you will want to overprepare before entering this new realm.

Every battle has the potential to humble even the most accomplished of players, with everything from mobs of soldiers, immortal skeletons, legendary warriors, and beings from the outer reaches poised to finish you off.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree bosses

And that leads us on to the bosses. We're talking some of the most challenging, thrilling and satisfying endgame-quality bosses of the entire Soulslike genre. Not only is each encounter more savage than the last, but the sheer number of bosses is incredible.

Indeed, with more than 40 bosses, 10 of which are main-event showstoppers that result in a Remembrance post-completion, you can see why critics are describing Shadow of the Erdtree as more like a sequel to an expansion. The quantity, as well as quality of content is pretty much unprecedented for a DLC.

Difficult as the bosses are, (which is very difficult!), the general consensus is that the game feels fair. You'll just want to make sure you use the bespoke levelling system to power up your stats, as well as those of your summonable companions. Again, preparation is paramount!

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How big is the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree map?

On first appearances, you may not think The Realm of Shadow is particularly big. You'd be mistaken! Split into an incredible variety of contrasting and memorable regions, much like The Lands Between, and stacked in layers, this new expansion is extremely dense.

There are paths leading upwards towards ruins in the sky, others venturing deep below the surface, and more still that pull you in directions you wouldn't think possible.

The open-world design renders you free to roam, with each location possessing a distinct handcrafted feel in terms of aesthetics, atmosphere, architecture, and types of enemy.

The scale obviously isn't as vast as the base game, but you can expect the same level of detail and intricacy, with the density of the map putting your memory and sense of direction to the test!

How long does it take to complete Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree?

Initial reviews point to the game taking roughly 30 hours to complete. That is, to defeat the final boss. Of course, there is much more to be explored, as well as optional bosses, and skills and weapons to be collected, which could add another 15 to 20 hours to your first play though. Not bad for an expansion!

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - New Weapons

There are eight new weapon types in Shadow of the Erdtree. These range from regal-looking light greatswords, to throwing knives, to giant odachi swords, to beast claws.

Collect Ancient Dragon Smithing Stones of both standard and Somber varieties to upgrade your weapons and experiment to see what best suits your playstyle. And of course, you may decide to stick with the weapons you've carried over. Especially if you spent a life time perfecting your bleed build!

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - New Builds

As you'd imagine, Shadow of the Erdtree is overflowing with new spells, Ashes of War, Spirit Ash summons and talismans. These talismans include one that enhances two-handed attacks, one that dramatically decreases spellcasting times, and another that increases your damage every time you defeat an enemy. There really is a lot of room for optimization to match your playstyle. Of course there is, this is Elden Ring, after all!

Indeed, for those who don't have hundreds of hours to explore the almost limitless possibilities for customized builds, you may want to make use of resources such as Fextralife and other community sites for ideas and inspiration!

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Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree - Best DLC Ever!

Having worked our way through the initial Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree reviews, there's only one conclusion to be reached. This looks to be one of the best, if not the best DLC ever made! Elden Ring raised the bar for RPGs, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree raised the benchmark for DLCs.

Everything you loved about the base game is present in this expansion. It's smaller in scale, but that's in relation to the humungous Elden Ring. Compared to any other DLC, or even other base games, Shadow of the Erdtree is massive! It's absolutely chocker-blocked with content. And the content is everything you'd expect and more.

This epic DLC is an endgame, and it plays like one. The bosses may be fair, but they are brutal! You will need everything you've learned, and everything you've built from the first game to survive. Even then, you should prepare to be humbled!

There's a reason why Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree has received the highest review score for a DLC ever. It is absolutely incredible! Every bit as good as the original game, which is saying something.

We can't wait to get our hands on the game and to share our guides. Watch this space! 

Pre-Order your discounted copy of Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree at 2Game today!

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With the June 21st launch of the biggest Elden Ring DLC to date just around the corner, the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree reviews are in. And they look good. So good in fact, that the expansion has already overtaken Witcher 3: Blood and Wine to become the highest-rated DLC of all time, according […]